Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area
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Other Protected Land Activities
- Biking is available
- Birding is not available
- Fishing is available
- Hiking is available
- Hunting is available
- Kayaking is not available
- Sanctuary is not available
- Parking is available
- Skiing is not available
- Scenic is not available
- Running is not available
- Swimming is not available
- Volunteer is not available
Before You Head Out
Please review the preserve rules and the hunting rules, which very by preserve. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Support Our Work
To support this protected land, preserve or any other initiatives:
Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area (SLWA), encompassing much of the southern end of Skegemog Lake, offers a wealth of non-motorized outdoor recreation opportunities within a uniquely diverse property teeming with plant and animal life. Visitors can access this property from four parking areas and walk over five miles of trails that wind through this vast and diverse property. SLWA’s natural plant and animal communities have benefited from its relative inaccessibility in a region of rapid development. The Wildlife Area is comprised of approximately 3,300 acres of northern peatland, conifer and hardwood swamp, upland forest, and open grassland and includes over seven miles of shoreline on Skegemog Lake and Torch River. These landscapes provide important habitat for multiple fish species, several state and federally threatened bird species, including bald eagle, common loon, merlin, and caspian tern, two herpetiles of special concern, the wood turtle and spotted turtle and hosts the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, Michigan’s only rattlesnake and a State of Michigan species of Special Conern. Lands with these qualities are increasingly rare and important, making the SLWA an invaluable resource for preserving the natural heritage of Northern Michigan.
The establishment of the Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area (SLWA) was the culmination of a major grassroots campaign launched by local residents in 1972 under the name of the Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area Project, with help from the Michigan chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). TNC had established a stewardship endowment fund for the project which was transferred to Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) along with management responsibilities. Currently GTRLC works with Skegemog Lake Wildlife Committee citizen group and Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to manage the property with final authority for all management activies resting with the MDNR.
For directions please click on of the maps below and enter your address.
Antrim County, Kalkaska County. 3,300 acres.
